Kidz Buzz

NEW JERSEY Kid Nectar for Knowledge and News • SEPTEMBER 2018

HEY! THIS PAPER BELONGS TO:

You could be the next cover - Ask us how! www.KidzBuzzNews.com IN THIS ISSUE... We are going ONLINE... enjoy this fun edition that ’s “Under Construction” with topics like Technology, Change and Opportunity, Building a simple machine, Story Construction, Building good character and more.

Welcome back to another great school year. I hope you had a fun and relaxing summer and you’re ready to get back to school.

organizer for Story Construction, how to build good character, and more.

I am so glad that you have been enjoying receiving Kidz Buzz in your school and bringing it home to share with your family.

Now that we will be going online starting with our next edition, in October, you can now access Kidz Buzz through your iPad, Chrome Book, or any other device. Ask your parents to look at the back cover of this edition and follow the steps to register their email so that you can keep Kidz Buzz coming.

Be sure to have your parents register their email so that you can keep receiving Kidz Buzz to see your original artwork, get fun and easy recipes, enter contests, and read great articles.

Have a great school year and see you online next month!

Your friend,

This back-to-school edition has an “Under Construction” theme that teaches you about Technology, Change and Opportunity, how to build a simple machine, how to create a fun graphic

Bee Published!

Hey kids! Send in your original artwork, letters, and poems to appear online in an upcoming edition. Just have your parents complete this form and send it with your submission to:

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HAPPY B I R T H DAY !

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on the month of your birthday.

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www.KidzBuzzNews.com SEPTEMBER 2018

NEW JERSEY

Kid Nectar for Knowledge and News

A Bit From Buzzer..........................................2

Happy Birthday..............................................9

Bee Published.................................................2

Brain Buzz Solutions.................................... 10

It’s Your Birthday............................................2

Paw Pals......................................................... 10

Buzzworthy.....................................................4

Student articles – a great camp activity........11

Editorial: Heather Wawrzyniak

Buzzing Through the Trees...........................5

Kidz Buzz is going ONLINE...................... 12

Jennifer Downing

The Wonders of Science................................5

Published by Kidz Buzz NJ LLC

Lynne@KidzBuzzNJ.com 609-760-7520 PO Box 734 • Voorhees, NJ 08043 www.kidzbuzznews.com

Lindsay Wanko Laura Edwards

Our Buzzing Artists........................................6

Illustrator: Kim Gatto

Calendar..........................................................7

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Thank You!

Write to the Point............................................8 Character Counts............................................8 Brain Buzz.......................................................9

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by Laura Edwards

Technology, Change, Opportunity:

Kidz Buzz is going

W

hat is technology? How do you use it? There are no right or wrong answers because technology is in everything around us!

People have used technology for thousands of years and in a variety of ways. It was used to create monuments, methods of transportation, and places to live, learn, and work.

When technology advanced, we used it to create everything from objects that we use every day like alarm clocks, toasters, and computers, to devices ranging from something smaller than the palm of our hand to devices that can travel to space! But how is this possible? Why does technology improve every day? The answer to these questions is in the definition of technology: technology is an application of knowledge in a specific area. In other words, technology is a method for us to apply our knowledge.

Technology is the connection between every innovation and invention because it is based on knowledge. Since we are constantly learning and thinking of ways to improve what we have, it makes sense that technology improves constantly and brings about change and opportunity. To use the examples above, think about the change in transportation that technology helped us make. First, we used technology to build ships and sailing was the primary method of transporta-

tion. Thousands of years later, we created trains and were able to cross the country faster than ever. Cars followed shortly and became the easiest way for us to travel every day. Then, technology advanced again, and we were able to fly! Planes made it possible for us to travel around the world faster than ever before. What did this example teach us? We learned that every

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technological advancement opened the door to new opportunity and changed the way we travel. These ideas apply to every technological advancement.

It is important for us to accept and adapt technological changes because they are an improvement of the knowledge we had before. We can think about technological changes as though they are lessons that

we learn in school. For example, we learn the alphabet and how each letter sounds first and then we can learn how to read and write. Understanding those concepts gives us the opportunity to learn more and expand our knowledge further! Therefore, technological advances are based on knowledge and the changes in technology bring opportunities.

In today’s world, one of the most common technological changes is the move from print to online for records and publications. Many magazines, journals, and newspapers have made this change and Kidz Buzz will join next month!

Look inside this edition for details on how your parents can sign up to have Kidz Buzz emailed directly to you. Kidz Buzz will also continue to be easy to access through our website http://www.kidzbuzznews.com.

In addition to the new publication each month, our website has an archive of past editions which makes it easy to go back and reread or share your favorite articles.

We are looking forward to the future editions and we hope you are too!

www.KidzBuzzNews.com SEPTEMBER 2018

What else makes beavers so interesting?

✤ Beavers do not hibernate

By Laura Edwards

D

during the winter. ✤ Beavers work mostly at night. ✤ Although beavers are generally nocturnal animals, it is not unlikely that people will see a family of beavers during the day. ✤ Beavers mate for life and

Beavers

id you know that beavers build their own homes?

Families of beavers work together to build lodges and dams. Beavers’ lodges are domeshaped houses that the beavers make out of grass, sticks, and moss. They dig water canals to bring water, materials, and food to their lodges. Most lodges have two dens: the beavers live, stay warm, raise their young, and rest in one den, and the second den is an underwater entrance. This entrance gives beavers a place to dry off after swimming, protects

them from predators, and allows them to get food through the year. Beavers build their lodges across North America in freshwater near ponds, lakes, and banks.

Beavers are also known for building dams, or barriers that prevent the flow of water. But do you know how beavers build their dams? They weave branches together, use their teeth to cut down trees, and maintain or increase the size of the dams with mud, leaves, stones, and any other nearby materials. The dams can vary in size, but typically are

between 10 feet high and 165 feet wide!

The beaver dams help our ecosystem because they operate like a filter and keep out sediment and toxins from flowing into streams and, ultimately, the ocean. Additional benefits of beaver dams are that they prevent erosion and raise the water table, which helps purify the water. The clean water attracts new species of birds, fish, and amphibians, which further helps our ecosystem.

Beavers are incredibly power-

ful swimmers, but they cannot breathe underwater. However, they can hold their breath for 15 minutes underwater, and have transparent eyelids which let them see underwater too!

the families live together.

✤ Beavers can swim 24

hours after they are born!

✤ Although beavers can see

well underwater, their overall vision is not good. ✤ Beavers use their tail to signal danger. ✤ Beavers are the national animal of Canada!

They also have webbed feet and a broad, scaly tail. Their teeth are very large, so constantly eating and gnawing on trees and branches prevents their teeth from getting too long.

Lindsay Wanko, Teacher of the Deaf, JFK Elementary, Berlin Twp., NJ

Science Simple Machine STEM Materials:

et on your hardhat and grab your construction G boots because this month’s

science experiment is all about simple machines! Don’t worry- you won’t need any tools because this activity requires just some tape and a few recycled items from your house.

Making a simple machine is a great way to help “build” our understanding of how things work. For this activity, we will build a winch. A winch is a device that is used for lifting.

It pulls in or lets out a rope or cable from a cylinder spool.

You might have seen a winch on a tow truck or a sailboat.

SEPTEMBER 2018

A solid surface flat piece of cardboard for a workspace ● 2 Paper towel cardboard tubes ●

●1

● Unsharpened

pencil or drinking straw (straight or bendable) ● Narrow cardboard ribbon spool

Procedure:

1. Find a solid surface in your house for your simple machine.

2. Place your cardboard sheet on top of the surface.

3. Hold the cardboard tubes vertically (up and down). Stand them on the cardboard sheet.

4. The tubes should be about 6 inches apart.

5. Tape the 2 cardboard tubes to the cardboard sheet.

6. Lay the pencil across the 2 tubes so it rests on top of them. Use a sharpened pencil to mark an X in the place where the pencil touches the sides of the tubes.

7. Using scissors, cut 2 small squares where your X is marked. Each should be about as wide as a

● String ● Tape

● Scissors ● Small

plastic or Styrofoam cup

pencil. You should have a total of 4 openings.

8. Make the basket: Get your cup and cut the top of the cup off so it is only about 2 inches high.

Make two small holes in the top of your cup across from one another.

9. Attach the basket to the string: Cut a length of string a little longer than the height of the card board tubes. Thread the string through the holes of your basket and tie them. Then, tape the other end of the string to the ribbon spool.

10. Slide your ribbon spool on your pencil. Leave the spool in the middle of the pencil.

11. Place the pencil in the cardboard tube cutouts.

12. Spin the pencil or straw (bendable piece can be used to turn) to test out your hand crank or winch.

www.KidzBuzzNews.com

Discussion Questions: In what ways do machines help to make our lives or tasks we complete easier? What can you pull up with your winch? Do you think it makes lifting heavy things easier?

How so? How could you modify your machine to lift heavier or larger things?

What would that design look like?

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Frank

herry

S

2, C ., age

Hill Nylah J., age 9, Cherry Hill

Noellia C

., age 9, C

Manroop, age 8, Lumberton

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Laila C., ag

e 9, Burlin

gton

hesterfie

ld Avery E., age 7, Marlton

www.KidzBuzzNews.com SEPTEMBER 2018

September Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

r ! e a y l o o h great sc

Thursday

WELCOME TO ANOTHER

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5:30-7:30pm – DIY Sundaes Meal Deal: 5:00-8:00pm Free Kids meal with the purchase of a Value Meal.

Chick-fil-A East Gate Square

6 Read a Book Day

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Kids NightActivity

Kids Night Activity

5:30-7:30pm – DIY Sundaes Meal Deal: 5:00-8:00pm Free Kids meal with the purchase of a Value Meal.

Chick-fil-A Centerton Square

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Happy Grandparents Day

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Receive a FREE Breakfast entree offer card with purchase of a Meal (entrée, medium side, medium beverage).

Employee ID must be current (one ID per person) to receive offer. May not be used at the time of receipt. Chick-fil-A Centerton Square (Blue) Chick-fil-A East Gate Square (Red)

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Kids NightActivity

10

17

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Kids Night Activity

5:30-7:30pm – Trivia Meal Deal: 5:00-8:00 pm.

Free Kids meal with the purchase of a Value Meal.

Chick-fil-A Centerton Square

5:30-7:30pm – Trivia Meal Deal: 5:00-8:00 pm.

Free Kids meal with the purchase of a Value Meal.

Chick-fil-A East Gate Square

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8

14

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Drive-in Movie Night – Movie TBD

Positive Thinking Day

6pm-10pm. Come to a free movie night.

Bring lawn chairs and blankets! All proceeds from concession sales (popcorn and candy) will be donated to a local charity.

More details on www.cfarestaurant.com/ centertonsquare/events

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Kids Night Activity Kids Night Activity

23Autumnal Equinox

24 National

(Fall begins)

30 SEPTEMBER 2018

Punctuation Day

5:30-7:30pm – Craft Meal Deal: 5:00-8:00pm Free Kids meal with the purchase of a Value Meal.

Chick-fil-A Centerton Square

5:30-7:30pm – Craft Meal Deal: 5:00-8:00pm.

Free Kids meal with the purchase of a Value Meal.

Chick-fil-A, East Gate Square

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Kids NightActivity

Kids Night Activity

5:30-7:30pm – Family Bingo Meal Deal: 5:00-8:00 pm.

Free Kids meal with the purchase of a Value Meal.

Chick-fil-A Centerton Square

Saturday

EMPLOYEE ID DAY 10:30am-6pm

Classical Music Month

Better Breakfast Month

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Friday

5:30-7:30pm – Family Bingo Meal Deal: 5:00-8:00pm Free Kids meal with the purchase of a Value Meal.

Chick-fil-A East Gate Square

www.KidzBuzzNews.com

Miniature Golf Day

National Good Neighbor Day

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By: Jennifer Downing, 5th Grade Teacher, Fountain Woods Elementary School, Burlington Township, N.J.

Story Construction Made Easy!

Writing a story is not easy for everyone. The biggest complaint I hear from students is that they have a hard time getting started. Using a Graphic Organizer is the best way to get started.

You can use Google to find any kind of Graphic Organizer that you need. You can also make your own simple one.

Here is an example of one to make for a fictional story or narrative. Take a piece of paper and fold it in the middle twice, so you end up with 4 boxes.

Label them: Characters: Who?, Setting: Where & When?, Problem: What’s Wrong?, and Solution. Now, you have a basic story map to organize your ideas and plan your writing. These are the 4 story elements that are needed to construct a well-written story.

Here are some tips to help you with the 4 areas. Decide if you would like to write a fictional story, a narrative or a realistic fiction story. Think about other stories you have read and what you

Writing Challenge: Search for a Graphic Organizer and use it to plan a great story!

CCSS.ELA.Literacy.W.5.3.B: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.

really liked about them. You can use ideas you have seen and put your own twist on them. Think about real experiences you have had where there was a problem and a solution. Did you ever wish something else happened? You can make anything you want happen in your own story! Make your story realistic by using dialogue and writing it as though it is happening in the present.

It should be like you are rewinding a movie and playing it over again. Make

your characters interesting by building up their traits. Build up their traits like honesty, or cleverness through their actions and words. Lastly, remember that a good plot always has some events that eventually lead to a turning point in the story before getting to the solution - this builds suspense. The character should have some obstacles to work through before the problem is solved! Find your favorite Graphic Organizer and get started.

By: Heather Wawrzyniak, Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator for Riverside Township School District

BUILDING GOOD CHARACTER

The key to building character is making the right choices. It can be difficult to make the right choice when you are not in the right frame of mind. It is important to understand your emotions to be able to make the right choices and have the right reactions to situations.

Throughout the day you are faced with many things that can cause a variety of emotions such as happiness, anger, sadness, anxiety and many more. At those points, your mind starts to take flight and stops being mindful.

This is when making the right choice can really be hard.

People who have mastered the art of mindfulness are not controlled by the things happening around them or

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the problems happening in the environment. They make better choices because their mind is in a better problem-solving state.

The first step to controlling your actions is understanding and recognizing what you are feeling. You need to pay attention to your body. Is your voice getting louder? Is your heart beating faster? Do you feel your muscles getting tense? Is your breathing getting deeper or faster? These are signs that you are experiencing a new feeling. At this point, identify your emotion by saying, “I feel …”.

Next, find strategies to turn your emotions around. Some things you could try that can help calm

your emotions are singing a song, counting to ten, taking slow deep breaths, picturing a calm place in your mind like the park or the beach, or even doing some jumping jacks. You need to find the strategy that works best for you.

Once you have identified your emotion and regulated, or calmed, your emotions, you are ready to fix any problem that comes your way. You won’t be reacting in anger or in fear, you’ll be calm enough to make the choice that is the best choice for the situation.

Learning to recognize emotions and regulate your emotions are as important to success in life as learning academic skills.

www.KidzBuzzNews.com SEPTEMBER 2018

Solutions on page 10

HELP books

Start

get back on

Library Shelves

Word Search

SEPTEMBER 2018

Aiden C.

Burlington

6

9/14

Kyle W.

Burlington Twp.

11

9/15

Jiada L.

Hainesport

9

9/16

Eva F. Yatzil M.

Moorestown Maple Shade

8 2

9/18 9/23

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Solutions and More!

HELP books get back on Library Shelves

Word Search

Start

By Laura Garber

D

ogs are genetically programmed to hunt for their food, just like their wild ancestor the wolf. Once the dog became domesticated, humans started selectively breeding for particular traits so that they could perform jobs, like Labrador Retrievers for retrieving fowl and German Shepherds for herding sheep. But today, our pet dogs do little more than play, eat and sleep, and that can be pretty boring for a dog who was bred to do so much more!

Zoos have struggled with these same problems with their wild inhabitants and so zookeepers have learned to improve the quality of life for many of their predator and primate species by giving them puzzles to solve in order to obtain their food.

We can do the same for our canine companions.

Interactive food toys like the Kong® and Kong® Wobbler, the WestPaw Toppl, and the Busy Buddy® Twist ‘n Treat are great ways of providing meals

It’s Okay to Play with Your Food and snacks to our dogs that will give them mental stimulation. Just as you may do chores around the house to get your allowance, so can your dog work on puzzle toys to get his food!

One thing to note, though… start easy, not packing too tightly, until your dog gains confidence and skill. Otherwise, he may get frustrated and give up.

But then, to add to the challenge, you can freeze the Kong or put the Wobbler out on the lawn so that, as the food falls out, he’ll have to hunt through the grass to find it! (For some Kong stuffing recipes, go to

http://mywoofgang.com/handouts/KongStuffingRecipes.pdf)

With just a little practice, your dog will learn to thoroughly enjoy unpacking stuffed puzzle toys and finding the hidden food treasures within!

* Always introduce new food, toys, training with adult supervision.

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A behavior specialist and trainer living in southern NJ, Laura Garber, CPDT-KA, CC, FFCP, led behavior departments in animal shelters for over a decade.

Her company, WoofGang, LLC, is committed to deepening the bonds between dogs and their people through positive training and behavior modification techniques, and it is these same topics that inspire her writing. You can contact her at laura@myWoofGang.com.

www.KidzBuzzNews.com SEPTEMBER 2018

Campers experiment with creative writing The Cat Machine

Campers enjoyed a great blog elective this summer at Liberty Lake Day Camp and created some unique and entertaining stories.

Caterpillar and the Butterfly

By Adriana U., Roebling

“O

h, my, my! What a wonderful day it is today,” said the caterpillar as he woke. “I think it is a wonderful day for a nice walk through the woods,” he said.

This cheery caterpillar did not know what was coming his way.

He got up out of his nice leaf bed and started to walk down a path that was nice and very happy. He kept walking and walking until he saw a beautiful leaf to chew on and make as a very nice bed. So he climbed up the tree and grabbed the leaf.

But just then a beautiful butterfly came down from above. “Excuse me, but that leaf belongs to me,” the butterfly said rudely.

“Oh, but butterfly, I have this leaf right in my hands and ready to eat.

Don’t you think it might be mine?” the caterpillar said nicely.

“Well, look at you talking back to me, the most popular and prettiest butterfly around,” shouted the butterfly. “Um, um, if you say so,” said the caterpillar.

“So give me the leaf,” shouted the butterfly.

“I’d rather not,” the caterpillar said nicely.

“Well, you should because you look like a nightmare. Your eyes are scary and your legs are so small,” shouted the butterfly.

Now that really hurt the caterpillar’s feelings, so he dropped the leaf and left. He left with his head hanging down.

Later on, the caterpillar started to have a feeling he had never felt before. His stomach hurt and his legs were weak. He took a rest on a tree branch. A few minutes later, he woke up and saw that he was in a cocoon. He was changing! And changing, and changing, and changing until he turned into a beautiful butterfly! He had yellow wings and a beautiful face.

The caterpillar, now a butterfly, returned to the same spot where he met the butterfly. He saw the butterfly resting on a flower. He then said, “Long time, no see.”

“Who are you?” asked the butterfly.

“I happen to be that caterpillar you were rude to.”

“Oh, you are a butterfly now. Ha. You will never be as popular as me, though.”

Just then, a couple of owls, racoons, and squirrels came out of hiding to see the new butterfly.

“Hey, animals, come look at me instead,” shouted the butterfly.

But the animals kept looking at and complimenting the caterpillar who was now a butterfly. Just then, the butterfly learned a lesson. She was never popular. She was just treated nicely like everyone else.

The lesson of this story was: “Don’t judge people on how they look or you will pay the consequences, and you are never popular if you are never nice and kind.”

SEPTEMBER 2018

By Josie D., Lumberton

I

woke up that morning as always. I go downstairs to get my phone to bring up and listen to music. When I got upstairs to get dressed for camp, I saw my cat on my bed.

-Hanna’s ViewI shrunk the machine and put on my collar. I ran down and sat on Josie’s bed. The plan is to make sure it works. I activated it and let it do its thing.

-Josie’s ViewI went over to Hanna and went to say “Hi”, but all I said was “meow”. “Meow meow me--ow” which is “What’s going on?” I looked up to see Hanna staring into my soul. And, all of a sudden, she started to talk, but the voice, it was familiar. It’s my voice!

“Hello. If you are wondering what’s happening, I, Hanna Ginny Dragon, will take over the world” she said.

It was kinda silly to see her with my voice. “Meow meow” which is “Ha ha haaa.”

“Don’t laugh at me, ugh. Well, the reason for this is--” she came closer and stares deeper into my soul. At that point, it was getting weird. “You didn’t give me enough treats, and if I don’t get enough treats, then no cat gets enough treats.

Every day, cats were good, and their owners don’t give them enough.” Instead of talking, I got a postit from my desk and wrote “I’m sorry”.

“That will not do. In 20 minutes, the whole human race will become cats and cats will become humans. Now let’s see who has the upper hand.”

“Meow meow meow.”

My mom comes into my room as Hanna hurries out.

“What are you doing, get your bag and let’s leave.”

I was prepared for me to say “meow”, but I said, “Yes, Mom.” Oh, Hanna wanted me to suffer for those scenes. I ran to the car.

-Hanna’s viewI jump in with Josie, and I make sure she does not see me. When we get to the camp, Josie goes to the amphitheater. I run around to find the best place to put the machine. Then, I found it, people and kids were staring as I put the machine down. I ran back and sat next to Josie and waited.

-Josie’s viewBy the time I got to camp, I only had 10 minutes before the world was run over by the cat race or the human race. Well, whatever it is, my cat needs to be stopped. I get out of the car and go straight to the amphitheater.

“Ok, today is going to blah blah blah.” I forgot what she said because I just can’t believe that I’m going to turn into a cat, and then I heard something, “Blah blah, so it’s Bring Your Pet to Camp Day, so take out your pets and put them on your leashes.”

All of a sudden, I felt as if someone was looking into my soul, and it said, “Josie, 5 more minutes.” I look over to see Hanna on a leash on my hand.

5 more minutes and the human race is turned into cats, and the opposite with cats. “Ok, kids, go to your first elective.”

I was walking to my first elective, but when I was walking, I heard a big bang zoom through the area, and the ground started to break in front of me.

Hanna jumped off me and I let go of the leash.

-Hanna’s viewI sat down on the car and hit the button. A big shrieking sound went through Liberty Lake.

-Josie’s viewAs the dust cleared, a big clock was heard, and Hanna was sitting on a chair. All these cats from other kids came over and started to meow. It was so loud that I covered my ears.

“Good meow to you, Josie.”

The clock started to count. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Beep beep beep….

I woke up in a startle to see it was all a dream. I turned off my alarm and walked outside my room to find Hanna smile and say, “It was no dream.”

www.KidzBuzzNews.com

Dragon Girl

By Rachel D., Cherry Hill

H

igh school. It can either be a great experience of learning and fun or some of the worst years of your life. I can imagine it’s going to be somewhere in between for me. My name is Aiyana and I’m a girl who can turn into a dragon.

My mom thought I was just a normal kid with a huge appetite when I was little. It was my first day of preschool and I was really excited. It was a good morning until it was playtime. A kid named Josh took the teddy bear I was playing with. I got so mad I yelled at him and my skin turned into red scales and I grew a tail and horns. Fire came out of my mouth and almost burnt him. When he ran away crying, I turned back to normal. I told my mom what happened and she dropped me out of that preschool.

Ever since then, my mom has homeschooled me out of fear. My powers have been developing more and more since and are still a bit hard to control. Now my mom wants me to make friends though, so she’s sending me to public high school. I just hope I don’t burn off someones face there.

I’d never hear the end of and I’d get put in a lab.

Thinking about it, I’ve never had a lot of friends or really anyone besides Levin and Jack. Jack is my little brother. He’s in third grade and thinks that I’m the coolest. Sometimes I’ll even transform into a dragon and play with him like he’s a knight fighting a dragon. I just always have had to be really careful. Levin is my cousin. She lives with us because her apartment burned down. She’s 23 years old. But she still is a lot of fun. She taught me how to fly a kite and prank call, also fish.

We live on a mountain. We have about an acre of land full of tall trees and animals. This means that I can turn into a dragon at home because we have so much space. Our neighbors are like five or six miles away so they are pretty far away and can’t see us. But this also means that I have to drive ten miles to the bus stop.

Anyways, I’m really nervous. What if they think I’m weird? I mean the kids at high school. I’ve seen so many movies of high school kids getting bullied and being mean to everyone. But what if I get bullied and almost set them on fire?

I guess I’ll never know the consequences until it happens. But hopefully not. Thinking about it, would they just call the cops or just ban me from the school? Would they send me away to some lab? I can’t think about this right now though. Time for bed.

“Honey wake up! The bus comes in twenty minutes so please hurry!”

I wake up with a jolt running to get myself together. I guess I’ll never wear my rainbow T - shirt and black shorts. My black hair is too short to put up so I just brush out the knots. I grab my bags shaped like a cute red dragon and hop in the car with toast in my mouth.

“Let’s go man!”

As I get on the bus, I notice something. Everyone seems to already have friends. All but one girl. She had pale skin and huge circular glasses - her hair was aqua and she was dressed in black. Her nose was stuck in a book.

“H - hey.. My name’s Aiyana. Can I sit there?”

“Cool name. And yeah, you can sit there, my name’s Samantha.”

“So.. um...do you like flowers?”

“Yeah, I like puppies. But are you okay? You sound very nervous.”

“It’s just that I was homeschooled for most of my life. I haven’t talked to someone my age in a while.”

“That makes sense. I could never be homeschooled because I have four brothers and they’re too crazy for my mom to not watch. Plus, my dad works in an office all day.”

“Oh, I have a younger brother and my older cousin living with us. My dad is a plumber and my mom writes books, so she had to teach me.”

“So what homeroom are you in?”

“I’m in room 63. What about you?”

“I think I’m also there. We can walk there together then.”

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